Tuesday, 22 December 2015

Time for Whisky's Last Minute Christmas Whisky Gift Guide 2015

There are a lot of good Christmas whisky guides out there this year - via blogs, news sites, and of course online stores - covering everything from high-end whiskies, to budget whiskies, to accessories and more.

So rather than just replicate them, we've decided to keep it simple - 5 whisky gifts to suit 5 specific scenarios. Left it to the last minute to get the whisky lover in your life a Christmas gift? Read on...

1) "The recipient is a whisky lover. I'm not, but I want to get them something that shows I did some research"The whisky:GlenDronach 15 year old

Why:GlenDronach has a huge cult following amongst whisky lovers and it's not hard to see why. While other distilleries who have previously been known for their "sherry bombs" have branched out into other casks for aging their whisky (mostly Bourbon), GlenDronach have stayed true to their roots, producing brilliant, heavily-sherried Speyside whiskies (that's a good thing). The 15yo is the sweet spot - delicious, every bit a quintessential sherried whisky, and punching well above its price point.

Be quick though - the 15yo won't be around much longer, as it's about to be discontinued for while. It's also highly likely not 15 years old - when you look at the distillery's history, and its closure from 1996-2001, you start to realise that today's 15yo bottlings could be up to 19-20 years old. This chart gives a good run-down.

Why:The Balvenie is a Speyside favourite from William Grant & Sons, producing elegant, handcrafted, enjoyable whiskies that at the same time are accessible and won't break the bank. I've never met a whisky drinker who doesn't enjoy The Balvenie, and the 12yo DoubleWood is always a good, safe option.

Why:Why limit yourself to Scotch? Bourbon is having a moment right now and for good reason - there are some bloody good ones out there. Blantons from Kentucky (famous for the rounded bottles topped by racing horse figurines) make some excellent Bourbon, and their "Straight from the Barrel" is highly regarded amongst whisky enthusiasts. At 60%+ ABV (sometimes 65%+), it's a serious whisky...just how we like it.